3.25. That the good Poet or maker ought to dissemble his arte, and in what cases the artificiall is more commended then the naturall, and contrariwise.
And now (most excellent Queene) hauing largely said of Poets & Poesie,
and
about what matters they be employed: then of all the commended fourmes
of Poemes, thirdly of metricall proportions, such as do appertaine to our
vulgar arte: and last of all set forth the poeticall ornament consisting
chiefly in the beautie and gallantnesse of his language and stile, and so haue
apparelled him to our seeming, in all his gorgious habilliments, and pulling
him first from the carte to the schoole, and from thence to the Court, and
preferred him to your Maiesties seruice, in that place of great honour and
magnificence to geue enterteinment to Princes, ladies of honour,
Gentlewomen and Gentlemen, and by his many moodes of skill, to serue the
many humors of men thither haunting and resorting, some by way of solace,
some of serious aduise, and in matters aswell profitable as pleasant and
honest. Wee haue in our humble conceit sufficiently perfourmed our promise
or rather dutie to your Maiestie in the description of this arte, so alwaies
as we leaue him not vnfurnisht of one peece that best beseemes that place
of any other, and may serue as a principall good lesson for al good makers to
beare continually in mind in the vsage of this science: which is, that being
now lately become a Courtier he shew not himself a craftsman, & merit
to
be disgraded, & with scorne sent back againe to the shop, or other place
of
his first facultie and calling, but that so wisely and discreetly he behaue
himselfe as he may worthily retaine the credit of his place, and profession
of a very Courtier, which is in plaine termes, cunningly to be able to
dissemble. But (if it please your Maiestie) may it not seeme inough for a
Courtier to know how to weare a fether, and set his cappe a flaunt, his
chaine enecharpe, a straight buskin al inglesse, a loose alo
Turquesque, the cape alla Spaniola, the breech la
Françoise,
and by twentie maner of new fashioned garments to disguise his body, and
his face with as many countenances, whereof it seemes there be many that
make a very arte, and studie who can shew himselfe most fine, I will not
say most foolish and ridiculous? or perhaps
rather that he could dissemble his conceits as well as his countenances, so
as he neuer speake as he thinkes, or thinke as he speaks, and that in any
matter of importance his words and his meaning very seldome meete: for so
as I remember it was concluded by vs setting foorth the figure
Allegoria,
which therefore not impertinently we call the Courtier or figure of faire
semblant, or is ti not perchance more requisite our courtly Poet do
dissemble not onely his countenances & conceits, but also all his
ordinary
actions of behauiour, or the most part of them, whereby the better to winne
his purposes & good aduantages, as now & then to haue a iourney or
sicknesse in his sleeue, thereby to shake of other importunities of greater
consequence, as they vse their pilgrimages in Fraunce, the Diet in Spaine,
the baines in Italy? and when a man is whole to faine himselfe sicke to
shunne the businesse in Court, to entertaine time and ease at home, to salue
offences without discredite, to win purposes by mediation in absence, which
their presence would eyther impeach or not greatly preferre, to harken after
the popular opinions and speech, to entend to their more priuate solaces, to
practize more deepely both at leasure & libertie, & when any
publique
affaire or other attempt & counsaile of theirs hath not receaued good
successe, to auoid therby the Princes present reproofe, to coole their
chollers by absence, to winne remorse by lamentable reports, and
reconciliation by friends intreatie. Finally by sequestring themselues for a
time from the Court, to be able the freelier & cleerer to discerne the
factions and state of the Court and of al the world besides, no lesse then
doth the looker on or beholder of a game better see into all points of
auauntage, then the player himselfe? and in dissembling of diseases which I
pray you? for I haue obserued it in the Court of Fraunce, not a burning feuer
or a plurisie, or a palsie or the hydropick and swelling gowte, or any other
like disease, for if they may be such as may be either easily discerned or
quickly cured, they be ill to dissemble and doo halfe handsomly or serue the
turne.
But it must be either a dry dropsie, or a megrim or letarge, or a fistule in
ano, or some such other secret disease, as the common conuersant can
hardly discouer, and the Phisition either not speedily heale, or not honestly
bewray? of which infirmities the scoffing
Pasquil wrote,
Vleus vesicae renum dolor in pene scirrus. Or
as I
haue seene in diuers places where many make themselues hart whole, when
in deede they are full sicke, bearing it stoutly out to the hazard of their
health, rather then they would be suspected of any lothsome infirmity,
which might inhibit them from the Princes presence, or enterteinment of
the ladies. Or as some other do to beare a port of state & plentie when
they
haue neither penny nor possession, that they may not seeme to droope, and
be reiected as vnworthy or insufficient for the greater seruices, or be pitied
for their pouertie, which they hold for a marueilous disgrace as did the
poore Squire of Castile, who had rather dine with a sheepes head at home
&
drinke a cruse of water to it, then to haue a good dinner giuen him by his
friend who was nothing ignorant of his pouertie. Or as others do to make
wise they be poore when they riche, to shunne thereby the publicke charges
and vocations, for men are not now a dayes (specially in states of
Oligarchie as the most in our age) called so much for their wisedome
as
for their wealth, also to auoyde enuie of neighbours or bountie in
conuersation, for whosoeuer is reputed rich cannot without reproch, but be
either a lender or a spender. Or as others do to seeme very busie when they
haue nothing to doo, and yet will make themselues so occupied and ouerladen
in the Princes affaires, as it is a great matter to haue a couple of wordes
with them, when notwithstanding they lye sleeping on their beds all an after
noone, or sit solemnly at cardes in their chambers, or enterteyning of the
Dames, or laughing and gibing with their familiars foure houres by the
clocke, whiles the poore suter desirous of his dispatch is aunswered by
some Secretarie or page
il fault attendre, Monsieur is dispatching the
kings businesse into Languedock, Prouence, Piemont, a common phrase with
the Secretaries of France. Or as I haue obserued in many of the Princes
Courts of Italie, to seeme idle when they be earnestly occupied &
entend to
noting but mischieuous practizes, and do busily negotiat by coulor of
otiation. Or as others of them that go ordinarily to Church and neuer pray to
winne an opinion of holinesse: or pray still apace, but neuer do good deede,
and geue a begger a penny and spend a pound on a harlot, to speake faire to a
mans face, and foule behinde his backe, to set him at his trencher and yet
sit on his skirts for sowe vse to say by a fayned friend, then also to be
rough and churlish in speach and apparance, but inwardly affectionate and
fauouring, as I haue sene of the greatest podestates and grauest iudges and
Presidentes of Parliament in Fraunce.
These & many such like disguisings do we find in mans behauiour, &
specially in the Courtiers of forraine Countreyes, where in my youth I was
brought vp, and very well obserued their maner of life and conuersation, for
of mine owne Countrey I haue not made so great experience. Which parts,
neuerthelesse, we allow not now in our English maker, because we haue
geuen him the name of an honest man, and not of an hypocrite: and therefore
leauing these manner of dissimulations to all base-minded men & of
vile
nature or misterie, we doe allow our Courtly Poet to be a dissembler only in
the subtilties of his arte: that is, when he is most artificiall, so to
disguise and cloake it as it may not appeare, nor seeme to proceede from
him by any studie or trade of rules, but to be his naturall: nor so euidently
to be descried, as euery ladde that reades him shall say he is a good
scholler, but will rather haue him to know his arte well, and little to vse it.
And yet peraduenture in all points it may not be so taken, but in such onely
as may discouer his grossenes or his ignorance by some schollerly
affectation: which thing is very irkesome to all men of good trayning, and
specially to Courtiers. And yet for all that our maker may not be in all
cases restrayned, but that he may both vse, and also manifest his arte to his
great praies, and need not shoe, or a Carpenter to haue buylt a faire house.
Therefore to discusse and make this point somewhat cleerer, to weete,
where arte ought to appeare, and where not, and when the naturall is more
commendable than the artificiall in any humane action or workmanship, we
wil examine it further by this distinction.
In some cases we say arte is an ayde and coadiutor to nature, and a
furtherer of her actions to a good effect, or peraduenture a meane to supply
her wants, by renforcing the causes wherein shee is impotent and defectiue,
as doth the arte of phisicke, by helping the naturall and concoction,
retention, distribution, expulsion, and other vertues, in a weake and
vnhealthie bodie. Or as the good gardiner
seasons his soyle by sundrie sorts of compost: as mucke or marle,
clay or sande, and many times by bloud, or lesse of oyle or wine, or stale, or
perchaunce with more costly drugs: and waters his plants, and weedes his
herbes and floures, and prunes his branches, and vnleaues his boughes to let
in the sunne: and twentie other waies cherisheth them, and cureth their
infirmities, and so makes that neuer, or very seldome any of them miscarry,
but bring foorth their flours and fruites in season. And in both these cases
it is no final praise for the Phisition & Gardiner to be called good and
cunning artificers.
In another respect arte is not only an aide and coadiutor to nature in all her
actions, but an alterer of them, and in some sort a surmounter of her skill,
so as by meanes of it her owne effects shall appeare more beautifull or
straunge and miraculous, as in both cases before remembred. The Phisition
by the cordials hee will geue his patient, shall be able not onely to restore
the decayed spirites of man, and render him health, but also to prolong the
terme of his life many yeares ouer and aboue the stint of his first and
naturall constitution. And the Gardiner by his arte will not onely make an
herbe, or flowr, or fruite, come forth in his season without impediment, but
also will embellish the same in vertue, shape, odour and taste, that nature
of her selfe woulde neuer haue done: as to make the single gillifloure, or
marigold, or daisie, double: and the white rose, redde, yellow, or carnation,
a bitter mellon sweete; a sweete apple, soure; a plumme or cherrie without
a stone; a peare without core or kernell, a goord or coucumber like to a
horne, or any other figure he will: any of which things nature could not doe
without mans help and arte. These actions also are most singular, when
they be most artificiall.
In another respecte, we say arte is neither an aider nor a surmounter, but
onely a bare immitatour of natures works, following and counterfeyting her
actions and effects, as the Marmelot doth many countenances and gestures
of man, of which sorte are the artes of painting and keruing, whereof one
represents the naturall by light colour and shadow in the superficiall or
flat, the other in a body massife expressing the full and emptie, euen,
extant, rabbated, hollow, or whatsoeuer other figure and passion of
quantitie.
So also the Alchimist counterfeits gold, siluer, and all other mettals, the
Lapidarie pearles and pretious stones by glasse and other substances
falsified, and sophisticate by arte. These men also be praised for their
craft, and their credit is nothing empayred, to say that their conclusions and
effects are very artificiall. Finally in another respect arte is as it were an
encountrer and contrary to nature, production effects neither like to hers,
nor by participation with her operations, nor by imitation of her paternes,
but makes things and produceth effects altogether strange and diuerse,
& of
such forme & qualitie (nature alwaies supplying stuffe) as she neuer
would
nor could haue done of her selfe, as the carpenter that builds a house, the
ioyner that makes a table or a bedstead, the tailor a garment, the Smith a
locke or a key, and a number of like, in which case the workman gaineth
reputation by his arte, and praise when it is best expressed & most
apparant, & most studiously. Man also in all his actions that be not
altogether naturall, but are gotten by study & discipline or exercise, as
to
daunce by measures to sing by note, to play on the lute, and such like, it is a
praise to be said an artificiall dauncer, singer, & player on instruments,
because they be not exactly knowne or done, but by rules & precepts or
teaching of schoolemasters. But in such actions as be so naturall &
proper
to man, as he may become excellent therein without any arte or imitation at
all, (custome and exercise excepted, which are requisite to euery action not
numbred among the vitall or animal) and wherein nature should seeme to do
amisse, and man suffer reproch to be found destitute of them: in those to
shew himselfe rather artificiall then naturall, were no lesse to be laughed
at, then for one that can see well inough, to vse a paire of spectacles, or not
to heare but by a trunke put to his eare, nor feele without a paire of
ennealed glooues, which things in deed helpe an infirme sence, but annoy the
perfit, and therefore shewing a disabilitie naturall mooue rather to scorne
then commendation, and to pitie sooner then to prayse. But what else is
language and vtterance, and discourse & perswasion, and argument in
man,
then the vertues of a well constitute body and minde, little lesse naturall
then his very sensuall actions, sauing that the one is perfited by nature at
once, the other not without exercise & iteration? Peraduenture also it
wilbe granted,
that a man sees better and discernes more brimly his collours, and
heares and feeles more exactly by vse and often hearing and feeling and
seing, & though it be better to see with spectacles then not to see at
all, ye
tis their praise not egall nor in any mans iudgement comparable: no more is
that which a Poet makes by arte and precepts rather then by naturall
instinct: and that which he doth by long meditation rather then by a
suddaine inspiration, or with great pleasure and facillitie then hardly (and
as they are woont to say) in spire of Nature or Minerua, then which nothing
can be more irksome or ridiculous.
And yet I am not ignorant that there be artes and methodes both to speake
and to perswade and also to dispute, and by which the naturall is in some
sorte relieued, as th'eye by his spectacle, I say relieued in his imperfection,
but not made more perfit then the naturall, in which respect I call those
artes of Grammer, Logicke, and Rhetorick not bare imitations,
as the
painter or keruers craft and worke in a forraine subiect viz. a liuely
purtraite in his table of wood, but by long and studious obseruation rather a
repetition or reminiscens naturall, reduced into perfection, and made prompt
by vse and exercise. And so whatsoeuer a man speakes or perswades he doth
it not by imitation artificially, but by obseruation naturally (though one
follow another) because it is both the same and the like that nature doth
suggest: but if a popingay speake, she doth it by imitation of mans voyce
artificially and not naturally being the like, but not the same that nature
doth suggest to man. But now because our maker or Poet is to play many
parts and not one alone, as first to deuise his plat or subiect, then to
fashion his poeme thirdly to vse his metricall proportions, and last of all to
vtter with pleasure and delight, which restes in his maner of language and
stile as hath bene said, whereof the many moodes and straunge phrase are
called figures, it is not altogether with him as with the crafts man, nor
altogither otherwise then with the crafts man, for in that he vseth his
metricall proportions by appointed and harmonicall measures and
distaunces, he is like the Carpenter or Ioynder, for borrowing their tymber
and stuffe of nature, they appoint and order it by art otherwise then nature
would doe, and worke effects in apparance contrary to hers. Also in that
which the Poet speakes or reports of another mans tale or doings, as
Homer of
Priamus or
Vlisses, he is as the painter or
keruer that worke by imitation and representation in a forrein subiect, in
that he speakes figuratiuely, or argues subtillie, or perswades copiously and
vehemently, he doth as the cunning gardiner that vsing nature as a coadiutor,
furders her conclusions & many times makes her effectes more absolute
and straunge. But for that in our maker or Poet, which restes onely in
deuise and issues from an excellent sharpe and quick inuention, holpen by a
cleare and bright phantasie and imagination, he is not as the painter to
counterfaite the naturall by the like effects and not the same, nor as the
gardiner aiding nature to worke both the same and the like, nor as the
Carpenter to worke effectes vtterly vnlike, but euen as nature her selfe
working by her owne peculiar vertue and proper instinct and not by example
or meditation or exercise as all other artificers do, is then most admired
when he is most naturall and least artificiall. And in the feastes of his
language and vtterance, because they hold aswell of nature to be suggested
and vttered as by arte to be polished and reformed. Therefore shall our Poet
receaue prayse for both, but more by knowing of his arte then by
vnseasonable vsing it, and be more commended for his naturall eloquence
then for his artificiall well desembled, then for the same ouermuch affected
and grossely or vndiscretly bewrayed, as many makers and Oratours do.
